Ceiling fans, which commonly also include a light, are extremely useful and popular because of their ability to move and circulate air within a room. In order to operate, ceiling fans must have certain elemental parts. That is, they must have a means for supporting the fan from the ceiling, a motor drive, and fan blades. Typically, the sole means for supporting the fan from the ceiling is a down-rod which extends vertically throughout the height of the fan and which has one end attached, either directly or through a ceiling fixture, to a ceiling structure. The down-rod supports the ceiling fan assembly in that the fan's elemental parts are attached to the rod.
Because ceiling fans are so centrally visible when installed, they become part of the interior decoration of the room. Often, however, the elemental parts needed to make the fan operational are not aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, using only a down-rod to structurally support a ceiling fan assembly greatly limits the number of decorative ceiling fan assembly configurations available to the public. It has proven extremely difficult to devise a ceiling fan assembly which utilizes conventional motors and supports and which also is aesthetically pleasing.
Thus, there is a need in the art for ceiling fan assemblies which are not only structurally sound and functional but also aesthetically pleasing.